Trenching-machine



F. E. BAGER.

` TRENCHING MACHINE.. APPLICATION FILED APR.2 3. 1917.

Patented Du. 20, 1921.

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F. E. BAGER.

V TRENCHING MACHINE. APPLlcMloN man 111111.23, 1911.

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F. E. BAGER.-

TRENCHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APRfZB. i917.

1,400,712., Patented Deo. 20,' 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Deu. 20, 1921.,

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FREDERIC E. BAGER, OF KENOSHA, W'ISGONSIN, ASSGJOPJ TO FREDERICK' C. AUSTIN', 0F CHCAGO, ILINOIS.

TRENCHING-MCHINE.

Application filed April 23, 1917.

To all 'Lo/0m t may conca/"a:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC E. Basen, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Kenosha, Kenosha county, nWisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trenchingdllachines, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to excavators for making trenches, and more particularly to machines of that kind in which the digging apparatus is arranged at the rear end ofthe excavator, whereby a trench is cut in rear of the machine during the forward movement thereof along the surface of the ground in the direction desired for the trench.

ln the operation of excavators of this character, it has been found to be difficult at times to keep the earth from falling into the trench behind the machine, and this is particularly the case when the excavator is Working in sand or soft ground.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the sides of the trench are caused to slope, when such is necessary or desirable, so that the earth does not slide into the trench behind the machine, the slope given the sides of the trench being suflicient to prevent the earth from caving in after the trench is made.

lt isalso an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general eiiiciency and desirability of a trenching machine of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of the rear portion of a trenchingmachine, showing the digging-apparatus thereof equipped with side-cutters for sloping the sides of the trench, embodying the principles of my in vention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the trench, showing the manner in which the sides are sloped to prevent them from falling into the trench.

F ig. 3 is a rear elevation of the machine shown in F ig. l, looking in a direction at ri 'ht angles tothe digging-beam.

ig. e is a view similar to Fig. l, showing i another form of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the machine shown in Fig. e.

Specification of Letters latent.

patented Dec.. 2Q, i921.

Serial No. 163,822.

F ig. 6 is a cross-section of the trench made by the machine shown in l lgs. e and 5.

As thus illustrated, referring to Figs. l, Z and 3, my invention comprises a body ifi suitably mounted on tractiondevices B, whereby the machine is slowly propelled in a itorwarr direction during the making of the trench. At its rear end., said body is provided with a transverse shaft C upon which is supp rted the depending digging-beam D, which latter extends downward into the trench. rihe sprocket-chains E are provided with digging-buckets e and support-ed upon the sprockets or rotary supporting-elements F and G mounted at the upper and lower ends of the digging-beam, the sprockets F being mounted on the shaft C, which latter is the driving-shaft as well as theV pivot for the beam. Thus the buckets are operated to travel in front of the beam and downward inrear thereof, the rising buckets cutting the trench. Any suitable means can be employedl for raising and lowering the beam, to vary the depth of the trench, or whereby the beam can be raised and held above ground when the machine is required to travel from one place to another. rlfhe excavated dirt is automatically discharged by the buckets at the upper end of the beam, and may be disposed of in any suitable or desired manner.

Upper and lower cross-heads H and N are arranged to slide upon the digging-beam D, in any suitable manner, and are rigidly connected together by the downwardly converging bars g, and by parallel bars l, and the cross-head H is connected by links e' with the cranks .l on the outer ends of the shaft C, whereby the structure provided by said cross heads and bars is reciproeated up and down on the digging-beam during the operation of the buckets. These bars g are provided along their forward edges with saw-teeth K for cutting the earth, away from the side of the trench is allowed to fall into the path of the rising buckets, so that it is scooped up and carried upward. The angle of the bars g is such that they give the sides of the trench the desired slope (see Fig. 2), as the machine travels forward. As the buckets extend a distance in advance of the saw-teeth K, it follows that the trench is first formed with vertical sides, and thatthe upper portions of these sides are then cut away to form the nal or sloping sides of the trench..

and the dirt thus torn V Vlhen, the machine is Working in soft `ground, such sanch sloping,` of the sides of the ranch Will prevent the earth :troni caving in behind the machine. The sidecutters are, however, readily removable from the digginnapparatus, by removing the crossheads rl and N from the digging-beam, and any suitable provision can be made for this purpose. The bars g can be flexible, so that they `Yviil'yield to some extent during,` their Yup-midden/n movement against the sides et the trench.

ln Figs. 4;-, 5 and 6,' the construction is as follows: The ccnverging bars L are similar to those previously lescribed, and are provided with saw-teeth Z, but this case said bars are pivoted near their lovver ends upon Athe transverse member which is carried by the digging-beam. er transverse connection N entends between the upper ends of the bars L, and parallel bars 'a extend upvvard from the inner su ces of the bars L and across the connection N, being` secured by rivets 0 to said connection. ne upper ends o' these bars n are connected by links P with the cranks y) on the shaft C previously described. iii/lith this arrangement, the rotation ot the shaft C causes the bars L to oscillate about' the transverse axis provided by the pivots m on the ends of the cross-inember M, and this tears down 'the earth at the opposite sides of the trench, causing the dirt to fall into the path of 'the rising buckets.

rThe trench is, therefore, iirst 'formed with vertical sides (see Fig. G), and is then provided with sloping sides in rear of the dig-v IBrimer-buckets.

rthe transverse shai't C, of course, is common to both the trench cutter and the trench Widening` and bank sloping,l devices, and

serves for the operation of, as ivell'as to provide a, transverse Vaxis about which said trench 'cutter and devices are supported to swing up and down.

ldhat l claim my invention is l. in an excavator lor cuttinga trench in rear thereof, as the machine moves slowly forward, a tilting digging beam depending from the rear end of the machine, an endless series of digging-buckets arranged to travel up and down on said beam, so that Vthe rising` buckets cut the trench ahead ofthe beam nd then descend behind the beam, auxiliary cuttingI ineens carriedV on said beam and having backv and forth, movement thereon to slope tliesidesof the-trench by cuttingA away dirt which falls intothe pathof said buckets, and devices forV operating said auxiliary'cuttingmeans as a unit on said beam. Y

2. The structure, as set forth in claim l, in which said means inclu-de a'pair of down- Wardlj-,f' converging bars having saw-teeth thereon, and means to rigidly connect said bars together, said devices being,` adapted to operate said bars back and forth in unison against the sides or the trench.V i Y 3. The structure, as set forth in claim l, in which said devices are provided at the upper end o1"- saidbeanrfor operating said means baclrvand forth against the sides oiV the trench. Y

Ll. rJhe structure, as set forth in Vclaim l, in which a shaft is provided 'for pivoting` the upper end of said beam, and devices including` cranlr arms on said shaiit to operate said buckets and said means.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 3rd day of April, 1917. I i

FREDERIC n; VBaena 

